Friday, October 16, 2009

Fall is my favorite season! There are so many reasons that Fall is better than all the other seasons! Leaves changing, pumpkins, apple crisp, football season, and of course cooler temperatures. And with cooler temperatures, comes the need for some good fall food. My favorite is soup! I love soup. I think I could probably eat it every day!! I have a goal this year to try to make homemade soup one time each week. I admit, I haven't actually started working towards this goal yet...maybe next week! ;)

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite soup cookbooks. It is called "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" by Paulette Mitchell. I happen to be an ova-lacto vegetarian, so this book, which is filled with vegetarian recipes, is perfect for me. My husband also happens to be allergic to dairy, so I appreciate that the recipes are often offered with "vegan option" which omits certain ingredients. And if you are a meat-eater, well, I'm sure it would be super easy to add some chicken or beef broth and meat to your soup! I have tried about eight different soups in this book so far, and each one has been better than the next!

Here is an easy recipe that I have tried and enjoyed. I would LOVE to hear any of your sources of great soup recipes! Feel free to leave some links!! ;)

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and leaves and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms; continue to cook stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice and rosemary; stir until coated with oil. Add the vegetable stock, squash, and lemon zest strips. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice and squash are tender, about 12 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste. Serve topped with cheese.